Read the case study “Case 6: Small Area Variations” in your textbook, Health Pol
Read the case study “Case 6: Small Area Variations” in your textbook, Health Policy Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Then answer the discussion questions below: What do you think about using small area studies based on large Medicare databases (such as the one presented in this case study) to identify outliers? Salaried cardiologists at Kaiser Permanente in northern Ohio used drugs more often and performed cardiac procedures at slightly below the national rate. What role might different financial incentives play here? If you were Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio, what studies would you conduct to attempt to explain and/or deal with these striking local differences in treatments and costs? Support your statements with scholarly references and appropriate examples.